Mate of the Fey
by LightningFuryStrike13
Summary: Once every great once in a while someone from Hogwarts is chosen to be the mate of a fey. Rated K  for non-sexual nudity.
1. Chapter 1

Fey Mate is working title

Rating is likely very low K-K+

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the universe he lives in though I do plan to bend it a bit. I am in no way making any money off of this.

At the Farewell Feast of Hogwarts in the year of 1976 a most unusual thing happened. It was not the first time it had happened and it was doubtful that it would be the last. The Great Hall doors opened and in walked a beautiful woman. Dumbledore stood, smiled and greeted the enchanting vision of female loveliness thereby turning everyone else's attention to her as well. The Headmaster and the ghosts were probably the only ones old enough to have seen this happen before but none the less stared with the rest in amazement.

She was gorgeous. She had long hair that flowed in waves to brush her ankles; framing her body with its deep rich dark brown colour. Her eyes were a deep green tinted with a hint of dark blue. Her lips were the colour of dark red wine and parted lightly as she looked around her curiously at all the gaping faces staring at her. "Honestly one would think you'd never seen a fey before." Her voice, a deep rich rolling voice rebuked the staring teens and teachers. She raised her eyes to the Headmaster, "You know why I'm here, yes?"

Albus Dumbledore smiled the twinkle in his eyes sparkled like never before were visible even to her across the Great Hall. "Is it for the same reason a fey last came to Hogwarts in 1845?"

"It is." She confirmed.

"Then if I maybe allowed to explain? You are correct most of these children never have seen a fey before. Perhaps it is best I explain in terms they'll understand as fey traditions are not taught here of course." The Headmaster didn't bother to hide the wide Cheshire grin splitting his face as she nodded her permission.

She was haughty as she waited her cheekbones catching the light as she inclined her head. As he began to explain she glided to the Gryffindor table then to the benches closest the wall and began to pause behind each young man be they young or about to graduate.

"As she has stated this beautiful lady is of the fey. In 1845 another of her kind came to Hogwarts as they do on occasion. You see she is here for her love. One has been born in recent years, who is the match for her and she has likely been searching for him since then until her search has bought her here to Hogwarts. Everyone should remain seated and calm and keep their hands to themselves while she searches and when she finds the one she is looking for offer no resistance. Although why one would resist their soul mate who wants nothing more than to love them and have copious amounts of children is beyond me. My dear friend Lenny was chosen in 1845. Still alive, kicking, and ridiculously in love last time I checked. Any luck yet my dear?"

"Not yet" She was paused behind the Marauders at that moment there was an odd expression of her face. "You four have been near my beloved but the scent is one of hostility." She looked confused. Her mate was perfect she could tell, the feel of her love was here closer than ever and it was wonderful. Whichever one he was he was full of love and compassion stored up just for her. Who could hate that?

She left the Gryffindor table and began to walk Hufflepuff's table in quite the same manner. She lingered behind each male chair ignoring the hopeful and somewhat lustful looks coming from every male in the room. Some Hufflepuffs actually groaned in disappointment as she left their table for Ravenclaw, while those already in relationships sighed in relief. The Ravenclaw's stared at her in amazement but also in deep study, never had they been this close to a high fey before. Although most had bright red blushes on their faces as her nude form passed among them they were mentally listing the unrealness of her form. She had no flaws, no blemishes, no moles or marks, no scars she was pristine. Her skin was not pale but nor was it tan it was the skin everyone wanted but actually seeing it was something different. She was beautiful but it was eerie how perfect she was, she made one grateful to be scarred or blemished because seeing her up close threw in to contrast just how unnatural she was. She was beautiful and sensual with her rolling hips and full breasts but she was creepy as well, alien. The utterly impersonal way she was going about them didn't help this examination. After careful study the Ravenclaws were almost relieved to see her leave their table.

At last she turned to the Slytherin table. The Gryffindors had lusted, the Hufflepuffs had longed, the Ravenclaws had studied, the Slytherins were divided. Half had heard of the power of the fey and longed for it but the other half wondered where this creature fit in the question of blood purity. They had plenty of time to wonder she lingered at behind each male longer than she had at any other table besides the Marauder's seats. Given the Gryffindors hatred of Slytherin it would be no surprise to find hostility between them and any of the house of snakes. She even began pausing behind the seats of females as she slowly worked her way through the house. Her love was here close, so close. She came to stand behind a tall blond fifth year boy and he turned ignoring the beautiful blond on his left to smile winningly at her but she moved on just two more seats down to pause again.

She closed her eyes behind this boy and turned her body to face his back. She took a deep inaudible breath and held it. For the first time a smile graced her visage and she leaned forward to touch him.

The young man is question hadn't even noticed. He had watched her at first as had everyone but was currently looking down at his stained and cracked fingers. He noticed her passing his bench mates but did not turn to greet her as they had. She'd be moving along here in a few seconds. She wasn't his there was no point in wishing she was and getting his hopes up. So were his thoughts until he felt those long fingers twine into his hair. Plump breasts pressed against his shoulders as he turned his head to stare up at her with widened eyes.

"Love." She moaned and sealed her lips to his. The next part is a blur. The memory of that first kiss is branded on his brain forever but he's never able to supply details to it. He remembers the feeling of joy and love blossoming in his chest uncovering a deep well he never knew was there and he knows that they practically devoured each other for a few seconds there and that when they stopped for breath she was astride his lap with the front of his robes undone half way down his chest. His arms had been wrapped tightly around her, crushing her soft body to his stringy form. Staring into her eyes he knows but doesn't recall the outraged voices around them or Dumbledore using magic to keep everyone in their seats but the two of them. He does remember they kissed many more times between the Great Hall and the Forbidden Forest at one point falling in the grass out front to snog for several minutes before continuing on. The path they took to her home that first time is worst. He recalls kisses and caresses all along the way but the terrain they covered could have been anything from snowy mountains, to sandy deserts for all he remembers. He does recall falling in the doorway with her on top of him trying to divest him of his clothes while tugging him onwards to the wide couch further in. The jar of the fall bought him to his senses long enough to kick the door shut. What followed after that lives in his memory as a haze of pleasure but mostly of love, deep fulfilling everlasting love that invaded his being, coated his bones and forever bound him to the woman who out of everyone in the Great Hall that day had chosen him, not James Potter for all his arrogant and popularity, not Sirius Black for all his looks and prestige, not Lucius Malfoy despite his charm and money, him. Severus Snape who had never been kissed, never been loved, greasy, ugly, Dark, swallow, stringy him had gotten the girl.

* * *

Looking back at his blurry memories of those first few days he thought that had he not spend the last 18 years with this woman it would be easy to dismiss as a dream. Sometimes when they were apart and he was put to the test in his pain filled mind he sometimes thought that paradise house must be a fantasy. Sometimes as he tried to drill potions texts into thickheaded ignorant children he thought the precious children who were happily home schooled were not but fond wishes of addled wits. But, he always came home; home to open arms, home to happy faces, home to love.

Now Albus Dumbledore wanted him to ruin that blissful sanctuary. "Severus you're a family man would you wish this on one of your children."

"Of course not Albus my children would never be in that position but nor do I have any responsibility to that arrogant brat!" Severus was livid. The very idea of taking that repugnant child home with him was distasteful.

"Severus it has come to my attention that the only reason they have not left him on the streets is because the muggle government pays them to keep him as a foundling, not my warnings of danger to the boy. A recent check of the blood wards reveals them to be all but nonexistent. The things run on love and there is none. I can only imagine they've held this long because he kept a child-like belief that they did somehow but that belief was shattered when he met his godfather and found how what a paternal love was really like." Albus had been flabbergasted at this discovery. Families love each other no matter how broken some members were. In the wizarding world family was everything; it was one thing the purebloods had right and the muggleborns wrong.

"Then send him to his godfather!" Severus was pacing furiously back and forth in the headmaster's office.

"Severus you know we can't do that that would put the boy in even more danger with Sirius on the run. By the way any word through any of your old contacts if Pettigrew has turned up?"

"No. I've told you I didn't know he was a Death Eater and if I didn't know then the chances anyone else did is ridiculously slim. The Dark Lord personally recruited many of his followers to insure their loyalty to him not a go between. Pettigrew was an agent unto himself with no contact with the rest of us and by that he is unlikely to seek shelter with anyone. The worm doesn't even have a Mark." Severus would have crushed the little worm had he known he was a Death Eater, to betray Lily like that that the worm deserved to be banished to the far reaches of Hell. His Love had been deeply saddened by Lily's departure from this world. They'd met at the red head's wedding and been fast friends. His twin boys had been born just one month before Lily's child and they exchanged many letters as his love comforted the pregnant Lily heavy with her first child while his Love breezed through her own fifth pregnancy bearing their eighth and ninth children with ease as usual. When the Potters had went into hiding the letters stopped and he had been the one to tell his Love of their death. She had weep and then asked after Lily's child. He had told her the child had been left with Lily's relations and she'd been relieved. She, like Albus, could not conceive a family not caring for its own. Severus thought she was under the impression that Lily's relations were fey having told him once that Lily had fey blood in her. If his Love was to hear of the brat's fate she'd probably adopt him.

"Severus he's just a child. You were in his position once." Albus tried to appeal to Severus's sympathy but belatedly realized this to be a bad idea when Severus spun around to glare at the Headmaster.

Yes Severus had been an unloved child to say the least. A mother that pushed him into the Dark Arts and a father prone to violence when drunk had not made for a happy home life for the young Snape. The fact that many had known about it and done nothing was worst.

That thought stilled Severus. Was he any better to know that a child was in a similar trouble and do nothing about it? Even if it was that child, the spawn of his hated enemy and the prodigy of that group that made his school life as much a hell as his home life had been. At least the brat got away from the bullies here at school; though not danger or pain for that matter the boy had been in the hospital wing more than any other student except for the petrified students of his second year. Severus' mind once more when over the thought of what his Love would do if she knew about this.

Albus observed Severus' contemplative face and played his trump card. "She would want you to. They both would. After all Severus he's Lily's child too."

Severus leveled his death glare on Albus again but the man simply looked at him waiting for a response. How dare the man bring his Love into this?

Most of the wizarding world was ignorant of Severus' family and he wanted to keep it that way. Not that he was ashamed of them far from it he was very proud of his large and ever expanding family, each of his children a precious gem that held his heart in their hands to say nothing of the hold his Love had on him. He'd happily die rather than live without her and that was precisely the reason he did his best to keep her and them a secret. He had too many enemies to ever let them anywhere near his family. He was one man who never brought his work home with him.

Lily, his childhood crush, his one and only friend…had an only child with no one to love him. His Love always said that his heart had an endless capacity for love, a statement he and everyone outside of his family would scoff at. Except each day with her and with each new precious miracle they bought into the world he felt that capacity grow. If he had enough for that did he have enough for another child not his own. He knew what his Love would say; he knew what she would do when he brought the brat…the child home as well.

"She'll adopt him you know." Severus said in a last pitiful defense.

Albus smiled, "Why my dear boy I think that would be wonderful."

Severus' eyes narrowed. He did not think Albus really knew what he meant but knowing the man's scheming ways like he did perhaps it was for the best.

"Fine Albus but remember you pushed me to this. Where is he? I'll retrieve him on my way home." Severus stared at Albus for a moment to make sure he took his point to heart.

Albus kept smiling though his twinkling eyes seemed to sparkle brighter for a second at Severus' stare. "Number 4 Privet Drive. I'll send his letter through your mail later this summer. Any chance any of your own will be.."

"No Albus. Goodbye." Severus turned with his customary swirl of black cloth and left the office. He began to carefully construct in his mind how to explain to his children they were going to have a new brother. His Love's reaction was almost without question but the rest of the children... Perhaps it would be wise to call the seven oldest children home this summer to help keep the peace. They'd be needed anyway for the adoption as he understood it to work.

Reaching the end of the castle wards Severus apparated to Spinner's End then held up his wand for the Knight Bus. He ignored the driver and usher beyond paying his fare and settled into one of the chairs. Seven stops later he got off on a sunny street in a front of a house that looked like the cover of a magazine. A neighbor working in a flower bed next door glanced at him at blinked a couple of times, then he looked up at the sun. He shook his head and got up and went into his house for a glass of water. The sun must be getting to him he could have swore that man just appeared out of no where.

Severus might have occasioned more notice had he been in his school attire but he was not. He was wearing what he generally referred to as his summer clothes. From a distant his fellows at Hogwarts would have trouble recognizing him. His long black hair was pulled back into a tail away from his face. He was wearing a light blue button up that hung on his lanky frame, untucked and with the first few buttons undone showing his collar bones, the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows showing the rarely seen skull and snake "tattoo". Here in this muggle neighborhood the mark would occasion little comment beyond the creepiness factor of it. Forest green pants were firmly belted at his waist. Muggles would call them cargo pants, Severus called them practical. They had several pockets for holding things and he liked gathering potions ingredients in them as attested to by the ragged bottoms worn by years of thorns and bushes. His shoes were the only thing that hadn't changed from his school attire, well fitted well broke in black leather work boots. All in all though his sudden appearance was worth a glance his overall look gained little comment, exactly as Severus had intended.

He strode up to the door and firmly knocked three times. A shrill "Coming!" came through the door and in the next instant it was opened only to almost immediately be slammed shut again when Petunia saw who stood there. She did not need wizard robes to recognize her childhood friend Severus Snape. Only a firm hand slapping against the door kept it from closing all the way and with little effort Severus pushed the door the rest of the way open despite Petunia's efforts to keep it shut.

"I'm here for your nephew where is he?" Severus pinned the panting woman with the same glare he usually leveled at smart aleck third years, not sharp enough to make one cry but hard enough to shut one up.

"In the kitchen." She stammered out nervously.

He left her trying to gather what little wits she had and in two long strides stood in the doorway to the kitchen. The almost overwhelming scent of lye hit him first as he looked around he finally found the child on the floor and for just a moment as that black head was bowed he saw one of his own sons there. Outrage filled him backed by a tide of love welling up from within his soul. "Get up! We're leaving."

Harry Potter was making a plan of how he was going to get out of his room to his trunk under the stairs without his relatives knowing. Thinking could distract him from the burning pain in his hands and knees from the harsh soap he was scrubbing the floor with. His glasses were fogged from the hot water so he couldn't see but he had scrubbed this floor so many times that he didn't need to see to do it anymore.

This had been something of a normal summer for him so far, the harsh chores on little food were nothing new. There was a fear of Dementors and nightmares of Remus howling had him up screaming the first few nights. Uncle Vernon had woke him from the nightmare by tossing his bed over to throw him to the floor before he thought to gag himself before bed at night. He still woke up but his relatives didn't and remaining below their notice was generally regarded as a good thing. The bruise from hitting the floor was almost gone now and Aunt Petunia had let him retaped his glasses this morning were the leg on one side had broken when his head hit the floor. He was looking forward to a small sandwich tonight if he could get all the chores done and perhaps a letter or two in the next few days from his friends and godfather. He was not expecting the deep voice of the Hogwarts Potion Master to ever sound within the walls of his relative's house. "Professor Snape?!"

He jerked up right standing on his knees with the scrub brush clutched like a weapon in one hand. There was a tall blur standing in the kitchen doorway. He moved his hand to clean his glasses but luckily smelt the lye before his hand reached his face. The soap had gotten into his eyes as a child and had burned them bad enough for him to need glasses for the rest of his life. Short of the Cruitus not even regrowing all the bones in his arm had hurt as much as that soap in his eyes. Despite the wet heat weakening the tape on his glasses he always made sure to wear them when scrubbing.

Seeing the glassed face brought to mind Potter but that from the head down Severus forgot all about his school time rival. The child was clothed in enormous pants that a doubled up belt was just barely holding on to thin hips. There were large holes in the knees of the pants and he could see the jagged edge where they'd been cut to size. He wasn't wearing a shirt in the hot kitchen and for the first time Severus saw the extent of the child's malnutrition. Some of it could be waved off as the boy hitting puberty and starting to shoot up. His own sons had enormous unending appetites at this age and yet persisted in being ridiculously skinny enough to worry their Mother. Only Severus remembering his own youth could reassure her through the first boy's growth. But Harry's was more than that. Not just Harry's ribs were showing but his chest bone could be discerned and his collar bones jutted out. There was the vague impression of a thin skinned skeleton standing there and as the steamy room had dampened his hair Severus realized he could see the shape of the boy's skull. Normally Harry was covered head to foot in loose robes and though his thinness could be seen in his wrists and face as well one usually paid attention to his enormous eyes behind the old glasses or the wand that hand was holding. Seeing him like this though made Severus feel horrible for cruelty he'd visited on this child over the years. Had this been his own child or one of his snakes he'd have already had Harry out of this house and before a mediwizard already. As it was a quick stop with a medical professional wouldn't be uncalled for. Though not strong enough to eat through his skin the strong soap had left bad burns on his hands and knees along with lesser ones on his chest and face. Luckily his eyes were protected by his glasses.

Severus finished his observation quickly and mentally adjusted his plans to include a stop in at Hogsmeade Clinic. "Harry come away from that. Let me clean you up then we're leaving." His voice was much calmer now, deceptively so for part of his mind was in a rage and planning revenge. But subconsciously since Hogwarts his mind had been adapting to the thought that this was, not his son not yet at least but a child under his protection that could become his son. It would take time to fully integrate these thoughts and the rest of the summer probably would not be enough but right now it was enough to let Severus speak as if his own son was here hurt and needing his protection.

Harry warily approached his Potions Master. He let the brush fall into the bucket with a splash he immediately regretted as the soap washed over his feet. Once he was out onto the yet unscrubbed floor he stopped at the potion master's motion.

As the potions professor took out his wand Aunt Petunia recovered enough to shriek, "No magic in my house!" She regrettably made a grab for Severus' wand to stop him. Harry watched in amazement his professor grabbed his aunt by the scruff of her neck and lightly tossed her onto the soapy kitchen floor before casting a silent spell at her. It wasn't the right color for a stunner but she fell back into the soapy floor anyway. A moment later he heard her start to snore.

Harry jumped as cool water started to trickled over his shoulders and chest startling him into looking up at his professor. "Hold out your hands. A light sleeping spell, suitable for small children and muggles, it might make a full grown wizard drowsy but is good for things like this. A fully powered stunner to a muggle can be very hazardous to their health. Lift your foot, now the other one. Rather like getting punched very hard or hard enough to knock you out at least. Are you fond of these trousers or may I destroy them? A stunner to the head can even give them a concussion or brain damage. When dealing with muggles weaker spells are best." Severus finished washing most of the burning soap off the boy's exposed body while he explained having seen the confusion at his spell. "Now where are your things?"

Harry stared up at his professor bemused. On one hand he was having trouble believing this was Professor Snape the snarky man who delighted in tormenting him. On the other if it was a Death Eater they weren't likely to be this nice. In either case Harry's wand was inside a rail under his bed so there wasn't a lot he could do. "Locked in the cupboard under the stairs. My bedroom is upstairs." Harry said quietly. "Umm, sir where are we going?"

"You'll find out when we get there. Given your condition we'll be making some stops along the way. How did you expect to do your homework with your things locked away?" Severus waved his wand at the small door to reveal the battered trunk laying on a small cot among cleaning supplies. A single light blub hung from the ceiling but the light in the hall was enough to see into the little room. Severus reached in and scooped up the trunk to lay down in the hallway. He eyed the worn cot and a horrible thought crossed his mind. "Why is there a cot in here?"

"This used to be my room." Severus glanced up in time to see Harry shrug as if it was nothing. He blinked and turned to look at the muggle on the floor. Petunia lay in the lye soap her clothes and hair were already being affected by the strong chemicals and there was a slight redness forming where her hands and heels rested on the floor. Severus decided he would find out more before deciding on a proper punishment. After all Harry might want to help.

"My condition sir?" Harry didn't bother answering the first question. He'd think it would be obvious why his things were locked away.

"Your burns and startling malnutrition, given the number of times you've been in the hospital wing how has Madame Pomfery not noticed how pathetically thin you are?" Anger was beginning to creep into Severus' tone at the thought that someone might have known about this and done nothing.

"Umm, well I'm usually put on a lot of weight when I get to Hogwarts and Madame Pomfery usually doesn't see me till the end of the school year."

"I see and don't consider that an adequate excuse but we'll accept it for now." Severus waved at the stairs for Harry to lead the way.

"Umm sir… If you can't tell me where we're going can you tell me why we're leaving?" Harry questioned as he climbed the stairs and walked down the hall to the door with all the locks on it and a cat flap at the bottom.

Severus eyed the door with a growing disgust for these muggles. "They lock you in here?" He asked, ignoring Harry's question.

"Sometimes." Harry replied once again with a shrug. That disturbed Severus as well, Harry's nonchalance about this as if it was normal for people to lock unwanted children in closets and barricade their bedroom doors. Severus didn't comment on the bars on the window, at this point it was just another drop in the bucket.

Severus turned from the windows to look to where Harry was removing a vent from the floor. Then he drew up a bag that had been tied to the edges. From the bag came a small book, an invisibility cloak, and small wooden whistle. Then still on the floor Harry slide under the sagging mattress and bed frame and after some metal clinks came back out with his wand. Severus once again noticed Harry's attire. "Do you have better clothes than that?"

"Just my school robes. All my other clothes are Dudley's hand-me-downs." Harry finally winced and Severus understood. Once a beaten, underfed boy wearing his father's hand-me-downs himself he understood how things at home could be endured where things outside the home where people could see you could seem unbearable. Peer pressure was truly a terrible thing to seem worst to an abused child than hard labor and neglect. Despite feeling it himself from an objective view it had always seemed so petty to Severus.

"Let me see these hand me downs. Some of it may be salvageable with magic." The more time Severus spent not thinking about James Potter but about Harry the more he found in common with the child. A digging little voice in the back of his head kept whispering that of course this wasn't James Potter they'd be raised completely different. Could James have taken what Harry had? Could Lily?

Harry started pulling what appeared to me reams of clothing out of a previously closed wardrobe. Several piles of high quality clothing in various bright unfaded colors covered the floor and Severus shot a glare at Harry. A thought of yesterday passed his mind that Harry was wearing the worst clothes on purpose to gain sympathy. Until he picked up the first garment, a red t-shirt, an enormous red t-shirt, an enormous badly stained red t-shirt that looked like a whale could have easily worn it without trouble. Severus blinked at it for a few minutes before looking closer at the pile of clothes. Now he began to realize that there weren't many articles of clothes but that they were enormous and many stained. He could have wrapped the red shirt around Harry like a blanket. He bent and picked up a pair of blue jeans. Once again high quality and unfaded but the button, zipper and crotch were ripped out and the waist line severely stretched, Harry's entire body could have lived in one pant leg. One short pant leg he noticed. The waist was nearly as wide as the pants were long. He could have wrapped the pants around himself twice but the ends wouldn't have hit his knees. He dropped both pieces of clothes to the floor again and raised his eyebrows at Harry. "This Dudley wouldn't happen to be Petunia's pet gorilla would it?" Severus asked.

Harry smiled and replied, "No it's my cousin. Aunt Petunia says he looks like a baby angel but other opinions differ wildly."

"I see. I also see why you haven't been salvaging these. Short of taking them to a magical tailor there's little help for them to be anything but rags but the cost of that might be the same as just buying new clothes. Vanishing the stains might destroy the cloth they're so set in" Severus seemed a little dumb founded when faced with such waste.

Most of these clothes looked like they'd been worn once by a large messy walrus, washed to set in the stains and then discarded. Molly Weasley would have been appalled then again she also might know how to fix them. Severus was many things but he was by no means an expert on magically altering clothing. His own children wore very little clothing having little need of it.

The few clothes Severus could spy that weren't enormous or stained look like they should be burned for insulting the eye and anything resembling fashion. Severus spied one particularly objectable sweater that he did not believe Luna Lovegood would have worn.

"Yeah, I usually can find a few things that aren't too badly stained and fix them a bit. I know how to sew a little and I steal buttons off the ruined clothes to use where the zippers are broken." Harry stepped closer to almost proudly show Severus were he had cut large portions out of the waist to sew it tighter and where three buttons were put in place of the zipper. Buttons Harry unbuttoned as he walked over to a small bureau of drawers and then slide the wet pants off.

A young Severus felt some vindication that James Potter's son wore the same hand me down holey gray underwear he'd once worn and been humiliated in. An older Severus closed his eyes in regret. When he looked again Harry had pulled out a pair of patched pants. More evidence of Harry's sewing skill they were taken in only a bit at the waist looking several years old at the waist while the ends were of layers of newer and newer fabric, as Harry had grown he'd added more leg on the end. For a shirt he pulled a light blue t-shirt with a yellow duck on the front. Severus realized with a start that it must have been this Dudley's baby shirt and Harry was, as a teenager, now able to wear it. It was miraculously not stained probably only because this Dudley had probably had worn a bib constantly. It was tight even on the emaciated teen but was probably the closest thing to fitting unaltered that he had.

Harry transferred a few other articles of clothing from the drawer to an old cloth satchel that also looked patched. To this satchel he also added his treasures from the floor vent then closed it and slung it over his shoulder. His wand went into his front pocket disappearing entirely. Severus couldn't tell it was there once Harry had put in away and realized that Harry had sewn a special pocket for his wand in these pants. Why he hadn't done the same for his other pants Severus could only imagine but he'd talk to him about not having his wand later.

"That all? Okay grab your owl and let's go." Severus turned and left the barricaded room. He restrained himself from melting the locks. Harry was never coming back here unless it was for revenge. At the foot of the stairs he belatedly remembered that the Dursley's got money for keeping Harry; well that wouldn't do at all. "Harry prepare your trunk for traveling I want to talk to your aunt before we go."

Severus sweep into the kitchen and cast a muffling charm on the doorway so Harry wouldn't hear from the hallway. Then he woke Petunia up. She sat straight and screamed, which he silenced. He levitated her into a chair away from the floor where the soap had faded her hair and bleached her clothes. He grabbed the hair on top of her head and forced her to meet his gaze. After a few minutes he stood back up disgusted. He did not touch her again as he cast Imperio and a number of other highly illegal spells on her. Not for the first time he was glad of the Dark Mark's ability to block the trace on illegal spells. After he was done he made a phone call to the local police station from the kitchen phone.

He canceled the muffling charm and grabbing up Harry's truck left with the Boy-Who-Lived following behind. A short wand wave later and they were riding away from what was soon to be the scene of scandal as the police arrived to hear Petunia's confession and evidence of years of abuse visited on her nephew.


	2. Chapter 2

Fey Mate is working title

Rating is likely very low K-K+

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the universe he lives in though I do plan to bend it a bit. I am in no way making any money off of this.

"Hello welcome to the Knight Bus. Destination?"

Severus seemed to consider for a moment then replied, "Strawberry Fields."

Once again paying for the fare Severus placed himself and Harry in a couple of chairs in the back and accepted some iced tea from the conductor. Harry was disappointed to see it was not Stan this time but he supposed they had to have different shifts. In fact as he looked around he noticed that this didn't look much like the Knight Bus he'd rode before. Instead of beds there were several sofas and the drink was iced tea instead of hot cocoa. There were other differences this Knight Bus was bright orange instead of purple and as it stopped and started it sounded different. He supposed there had to be adjustments for night and day.

"So what's in Strawberry fields, sir?" Harry asked somewhat timidly. He didn't quite know how to take this new Snape yet. Harry, after years of judging his aunt and uncle's moods, tended to work off body language a lot. Snape's was confusing. He sat stiffly as if he didn't want to touch Harry by accident but he rested his arm along the back of Harry's seat. Although he didn't look at Harry and his glare was hard, and straight ahead when he replied he spoke softly.

"An associate of mine, a healer who I provide with potions, her name is Kathy Donovan." Harry assessment of Snape's posture was fairly similar to the war that was going on inside his mind. Snape's carefully organized mind was set up like a battlefield at the moment. The prize was his opinion of one 13 year old Harry James Potter. On one side was his distaste for Harry, his father, his godfather and their various misdeeds against him, along with resentment of Albus forcing this upon him. This side had many memories as weapons and was playing a guerilla war against the other side. The opposition had entered the field only hours ago but was already having the drastic effect on Severus that Harry was observing. The opposition was operating in a similar way to the British military circa 1700's if they had been equipped with bulletproof suits. It marched forward across the battlefield in an unstoppable tide backed by 16 years of fatherhood and an abused, loveless childhood. The opposition did not see the son of the Marauder's it saw only a kindred soul and a child and was determined to win. Against that Snape's original opinion of Harry barely stood a chance. But being a master of mind magics Snape knew that he couldn't dismiss this war. He had to let it run its course.

He sighed and looked down at the thin back of his traveling companion. Harry was leaning forward elbows on his knees, his hands dangling, his head hung down as he stared seemingly at his feet puzzling out this new turn in his life. Through the thin shirt Severus could see the bumps of his spine and the messy head of black hair that at a closer look looked less purposely messed up like his father's had and more unwashed and looking like someone had cut it by grabbing handfuls and hacking at them. Had this been his son sitting next to him he'd have been stroking that thin back, ruffling the black hair and pulling the thin form to rest against his side smiling down, talking gently to his precious child. Harry, he realized had never had anyone to do that for him.

The bus stopped suddenly and Harry was thrown forward. Severus caught him around the chest and hauled the youth back up almost into his lap. Once he had his balance back Harry scrambled away from Severus's embrace. Severus thought with a tight lipped grimace, 'This was most definitely not his son. This thin boy staring at him with shocked eyes so unused to human touch was no one's son..yet.'

"Strawberry Fields." The usher called back to them.

"Let's go Po.."Severus eyed the youth for a moment, "Harry, don't forget your satchel."

They stepped off the bus in the aptly named Strawberry Fields, a dirt road beside rows and rows of strawberries. Some larger buildings stood off in the distance but Severus hefted Harry's trunk on to his shoulder and headed towards the dark woods some yards away. Harry followed the potions professor but a dozen yards into the forest before he feel a tingle like when he crossed the wards at Hogwarts and the trees when had previous looked thicker ahead thinned out instead and he saw that there was a small village concealed in this forest. No more than a half dozen small shacks stood in a small clearing. None of the small buildings looked much bigger than a garden shed and seemed in very poor shape.

Severus strode past most of them coming to a stop at the one the furthest from their point of entry and closest to where the forest started again. He placed Harry's trunk on the ground outside and rapped sharply on the door.

Harry was standing just behind Severus shoulder when the door opened. A blue-eyed woman with lots of fluffy blonde hair stood on the other side with baby bouncing on her hip. "Severus! What a pleasant surprise! Come in! Come in! And who is this? Your son? Well he's a handsome boy isn't he little thin though…" Here she paused in her exuberant welcome, "Very thin actually.." She reached out a hand as if to touch Harry's face and he flinched. She paused again and looked at Severus.

"This is Harry. The headmaster recently discovered that his family was not taking as good a care of him as was proper so he will be coming to live with me from now on." Severus informed the woman with a side glance to see Harry's reaction to that.

Harry had been looking around, inside the small stack was a rather extensive looking clinic. Harry looked shocked when he heard Severus speak then with a voice that he probably hoped was strong and steady but came out somewhat reedy instead asked, "From now on? You mean I never have to go back there?"

"No, you will spend the rest of your school years with me." Severus expected Harry to be somewhat upset by this news which is why he'd put it off. He expected Harry to rant and rave how it was unfair, to stomp around like a typical Gryffindor bemoaning his placement with the head snake. Harry did none of this.

"Thank you, Professor." Harry said simply. His eyes closed he stood very still an expression of acceptance and wry humor on his face. It cemented the fact that Sirius would probably not be free enough to be with him anytime soon. It was ironic that instead another black haired man was taking him.

"Now why is it that you've bought Harry to see me Severus." The woman's voice rang out imperiously reminding Harry of Madame Pomfery. Did all Healers sound the same?

"No need to get disapproving with me Kathy. Had I known his living conditions were this bad I'd have went and stole him away long ago. I'd of had no choice." Severus muttered the last part. "His reason for being here should be obvious as you have noticed he is very thin due to startling neglect by his muggle relations who seem to have some ridiculous notion that starvation and beatings will stop a magical child from developing. " Severus watched Harry wince again. Once again he was reminded that taking the pain somehow seemed easier than telling others of it so he removed that burden from Harry.

What he'd seen in Petunia's mind had been very clear on Harry's living conditions. More than the physical damage Severus was worried about the psychological damage done to Harry. Harry had been given rations slight better than those of an Azkaban prison inmate for most of his life, his largest meals as a child coming from his primary school. Physical abuse seemed to be limited to the beatings by his cousin and gang for Petunia and the uncle had shown a clear reluctance to touch Harry for any reason. Visibly showing disgust if they did have to touch or even at times come near him though this disgust did not extend to him cooking their food or cleaning their house the extensive chores being an ongoing unending work detail in a place very like a prison for the young wizard.

When Severus had found out he was to be a father for the first time he had nearly lost his mind with worry. Determined to not be like his own father he had devoured parenting books finally coming to the conclusion that his love had known all along. What children need more than anything is love. From that love comes kindness and acceptance as well but most of it is love. Harry had had a severe lack of love his whole life barring the first fifteen months of it. Severus would have to fix that. Luckily he'd have more than enough help.

"Well now let's take a look at you." Kathy led Harry into a back room by not quite placing a hand on the small of his back. Harry walked quickly in avoid being touched a likely unconscious motion that Severus quick eyes picked up. Of course Harry's head was still spinning a bit at Severus' news but as he walked into the large backroom of what looked very like a doctor's office containing several beds part of him took time to be amazed at the magic that must have been used to make the inside of this tiny stack so much larger than the outside.

Now that he was looking the signs of Harry's ill health were obvious. The sunken cheeks and eyes, the pallor under his tan, he remembered Minerva mentioning Harry asking to stay at school instead of going home, the utter disregard for his own safety, dislike his relatives showed to him. Harry's self-sufficient attitude and reluctance to depend on adults which Severus had previous thought of as arrogance now lined up eerily with his own behavior at this age. One gets the mentality that the only one who could be counted on was one's self.

"Hop up." Harry climbed on to a high table that put Kathy at more of an eye level with his chest. "Here Severus hold the baby for me would you? Poor dear's got the Stads, just keep bouncing her." Kathy kept the baby moving in the slight up and down motion as she handed the little girl to Severus. To Harry's surprise Severus accepted and held the child like he'd been born to hold children. Harry previously couldn't have imagined his potions professor near a small baby and he still had trouble imagining it if Professor Snape had been in his normal school attire but there in front of his eyes was a tiny baby girl with a bright pink dress on contently sucking her thumb as the normally sneering professor bounced the baby gently in his arms.

"What are the Stads?" Harry asked as Kathy drew her wand from what looked like behind her back. She wore a loose sleeveless blouse of light pink with a long beige skirt and wore worn sandals Harry noticed as she cast a spell at a chart on the nearby table and then began casting spells of various pastel colours at his head, his heart and his stomach.

"The Stads are a malady that magical babies get sometimes if they get sick a lot." Kathy explained. She frowned in concentration, "Sara here has a bit of a long term illness that we're getting rid of but she's developed the Stads from the potions." Kathy casted a spell that instead of coming out in a stream, to Harry's surprise, came out in a fan shape that stopped about a foot and a half away from the tip of her wand. It was a bright blue colour and Harry was looking at it in interest, so much so that he missed Kathy's first request to stand up. He stood upright on that stool that he'd used to get onto the high table and starting with his head and ending at his feet Kathy passed his entire body through the bright blue fan of light. He sat back down when she finished. She picked up the chart she'd cast the first spell at and began to glare at the results like she'd like to burn a hole through them.

Harry fidgeted on the table and Severus took up the explanation to distract the teen from Kathy's hard stare. "The Stads can happen in adults as well but usually only those with prolonged bedrest afflictions. It's more common in very young babies because they tend to not move around a lot. What happens is that despite the fact that all the ingredients are needed for the potion to work not all of the materials can be absorbed by even a magical body. In a normal active person the leftovers bounce around in the blood stream and are eventually filtered out because they keep moving. In babies however the leftovers can settle in the veins and cause blockages. It is remedied by bouncing the baby as you see to make sure the leftovers get filtered properly."

Harry didn't think that sounded quite right but it was magic and he was no healer so he just nodded. He remembered that Snape had explained the spell he cast on Aunt Petunia earlier as well in the same gentle manner he had just now. The extremes in behavior inside and outside of Hogwarts made Harry uneasy but from the way Kathy the healer had greeted Severus apparently this nice Severus was normal for her. Harry couldn't see Madame Pomfrey handing Professor Snape a baby to bounce his hip without a distinct fear he'd harvest it for potions ingredients. He remembered Hermione's disgust that some of the older more obscure potion recipes called for parts of babies. It noted that muggle babies were an easily gotten disposable commodity. Hermione had been furious for days after reading this.

"Well Harry according to my findings you are, surprise surprise, severely underweight. This is a prolonged condition starting somewhere around your second year of life you were quite healthy up until then. This has affected the growth of your bones and muscle development luckily your magic seems to have developed even faster in response trying to subvert the other effects. It made sure your mind and critical body functions like your lungs and heart were not affected. It also appears to have fixed more than a few broken bones over the years. You also have many various and sundry scrapes and bruises currently; many of them in unusual places. Your eyes are damaged of course nothing unfixable though." She eyed Harry for a moment then continued, "Stress has of course taken its toll as well although it shows a sharp increase over the last three years that should have been mostly at school." She pinned Severus with a look, "Since your magic has been otherwise occupied with school work the stress has damaged your nerves a little bit." She reached out quickly and snapped her fingers next to Harry's ear. He jumped away from her hand. "Your reaction to things like that are a little extreme it might be mistaken for good reflexes except your twitching at things that ought not be twitched at." Kathy sighed. "I don't suppose you'd give me your old home address would you?"

Harry blinked at her in confusion at that question but Severus answered, "I've already taken care it."

Harry's head turned to look at Severus.

"Oh?"Kathy said.

"As we speak the police are interrogating Harry's aunt. They're finding it very easy as she's confessing to everything she or her husband or her spawn has ever done to Harry." Severus' face had an evil smirk on it that reminded Harry that this was indeed the greasy bat of a man who tortured him at school. Only for once that evil expression was set on the Dursleys and Harry couldn't have been happier about that.

"And you think that'll be enough?" Kathy asked from her tone and expression she obviously didn't think so.

"No, I do not. I'm not finished with them yet. Not nearly." The evil, angry, hate-filled look that flashed across Severus' face was a 180 to the face he think turned to the baby he still bounced on his hip laying a small kiss on the downy head.

Harry was confused. Sure Ron and Hermione got angry occasionally because of the way he was treated but they'd never offered to do anything about it before. No adult he'd ever told or shown had done any good for him ever but suddenly his most hated professor was taking him home and was planning to continue to punish the Dursley's crimes.

It was almost too good to be true… Harry's face fell. If he moved his mouth he could almost feel the gag he'd placed on before going to sleep. With a sigh he reached over to pinch himself, dreams this good usually took a sharp turn for the worst around this time.

"Why on Earth are you pinching yourself don't I have enough to heal already?" Kathy's voice rang out.

"This dream has been really nice, a little unbelievable at times but nice all the same but I better wake up now. It's sure to go bad soon." Harry's pinched his arm very hard and blinked. He opened his eyes to see Kathy's bemused expression, Severus's sigh and the baby girl bouncing on his Potions Professors hip stare at him curiously as the tiny pink bow on her head bobbed with the motion of her body. "Huh, pinching usually works." Harry was confused.

Kathy shook her head and handed the scroll with Harry's medical history to Severus and began to open cabinets where she took down a small basket and began filling it with potions from various locations around the room. "Of course these are your own potions Severus these are just for immediate use until you can get a supply made up for him. You can reimburse me as usual. I'm a bit low on pepper-up by the way just coming out of the spring of course. So if you can give me a discount on those to cover the examination that'd be fine." Once she finished gathering the potions she got out another scroll and began writing instructions for dosage. "Bring him back in two weeks so we can make sure we didn't miss anything. When do you think the blood adoption will happen?"

Severus nodded as he glared at the scroll holding Harry's medical report. His head jerked up at Kathy's last question though. He glanced at Harry who despite not knowing what a blood adoption was looked worried.

"What makes you suggest a blood adoption?" Severus asked in that low silky tone of voice that Hogwarts students learned to know and fear.

Kathy paid no attention to the warning tone. "I know that mate of yours. She going to take one look at that poor little lamb sitting there and want to adopt him. Once she finds out that he's Lily's child very little would stop her from doing so. I mention it because he'll need to be as healthy as we can get him before you do so. So make sure you tell Illmasilladad that before she does anything drastic."

Severus glanced at Harry's increasingly confused face and then shot a glare at Kathy. "I was hoping to bring this up to him gently."

"Severus, not to offend in anyway, because there should be more people out there like her if there were the world would be a much better place but your mate has no tact. There is not subtle bone in her body." Kathy finished writing the prescription and folding it put it into the basket with the potions. She gave the basket to Harry, helped him down from the table, took the baby from Severus and had them out the door before Severus could do anything but mumble.

Severus sighed and picked Harry's trunk back up before turning to see a confused slightly pouty look on Harry's face. Severus sighed. "Come along Harry I'll explain on the way. As much as I hated to admit it she's right and its best you go in prepared."

Her name is pronounced Ill-ma-sil-la-dad


	3. Chapter 3

Fey Mate is working title

Rating is likely very low K-K+

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the universe he lives in though I do plan to bend it a bit. I am in no way making any money off of this.

Note: As I write I reread past chapters often catching small mistakes and changing things. This means that every time a new chapter comes out the fixed past chapters are uploaded as well.

"So what's a blood adoption and whose Illmasilladad?" Harry asked as he followed Severus deeper into the woods. Severus, despite the trunk over his shoulder, strode through the undergrowth like it wasn't even there. Harry floundered behind him, despite following him exactly Harry seemed to make twice as much noise and get caught by brambles and young trees that hadn't even touched the tall Potions Master. Severus waited with patience each time as Harry picked himself up or unhinged the thorns from his clothes and skin. Meanwhile he answered Harry's questions.

"A blood adoption is when a family, such as mine, all agree to adopt an orphan, such as you. It's not terribly complicated process. The entire immediate family must agree as well as the head of family then I give you a potion, we all chant a spell saying that we accept you under blood and magic and you are. The end result makes you as much a part of the family as if you'd been there all along. Only a special scan or potion would reveal you as having four parents instead of two." Severus explained. It was of course quite a bit more complicated than that but as he was talking to a 3rd year student he was not going to go into heavy detail about the extensive runes and arithmancy that went into the spell not to even mention what fey magic would come into play, thinking about fey magic made his head hurt. The potion of course was one only a master could even begin to brew.

"Umm, oh, what if I don't want to be blood adopted?" Harry asked as he brushed aside yet another young sapling. Seeing that Severus had stopped and placed his trunk on the ground Harry took the moment to catch his breath. He was slightly embarrassed to be so out of breath and tired when Severus stood there looking as if he'd expended no effort at all. It was rather queer how he'd walked through all that untouched. Harry had various scratches on his arms from the brambles.

"Then we won't." Severus stated as if it would be that simple but Severus was only human and had never been able to accurately describe fey relationships. He couldn't explain that Illmasilladad would adopt him in her heart immediately as would many of the children and while something similar had already happened to Harry with the Weasleys but the Snapes were fey and for them an adoption of the heart was already more than halfway there. The blood adoption would speed things up and change Harry physically and magically but if his family adopted Harry in their hearts the end result would be nearly the same anyway. "I'd wait and talk to My Love before you made your final choice." He murmured at last. For who could deny his love anything?

"Why would you want to adopt me anyway? I can understand why Sirius would want to but why you? You're acting awfully funny too, uh if you don't mind me saying so sir." Harry quelled there at the end when a sharp look from Severus caused him to stop walking.

Severus sighed, "Have a seat Potter…Harry." He waved to a nearby rock for Harry to sit on. He leaned against a nearby tree.

Severus' face was blank but inside he pondered how to explain this to Harry. "Where to start? My Love, my wife, Illmasilladad, is a very loving woman. Like Molly Weasley she's going to take one look at you and want to take care of you. They're mothers, somehow they can tell that you've not had a lot of love in your life, and they want to make up for it. I know that Molly Weasley has petitioned for custody of you at least once, last year I believe. At the time the Headmaster believed the blood wards to still be strong and refused her request. Now that we know they are beyond repair we…"

"Then why can't I stay with the Weasley's? What blood wards? What are blood wards?" Harry broke in. This explanation was confusing him. No one told him why he had to return to the Dursleys just that he couldn't stay at Hogwarts. He'd figured that they didn't believe him about how his relatives were, another adult that didn't listen and after first year didn't ask anymore.

Severus frowned, "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Harry the reason you were sent to live with Petunia is because she is your mother's sister. Because she is your mother's sister blood wards could be erected around the house that would protect you from any outside harm. A pity it cannot protect from inside harm but that may be because blood wards are generally powered by the love a blood family feels for one another. From what I saw there was no love in that home so the wards failed." Severus was confused. Surely Albus had explained this to Harry.

"Oh. Umm, no I've never even heard of blood wards until just now. So that's why Professor McGonagall wouldn't let me stay at Hogwarts." Harry stared at his hands crossed over his knees in front of him.

"Well that and the fact that the castle practically deserted during the summer. The house elves give the place a more thorough cleaning than it normally gets throughout the year and Hagrid stays to take care of the animals and grounds of course. Other than that almost all of the teachers including Filch take vacation aside from the occasional one or two working on a project. Even Professor Sprout only stops in every other week to check on the greenhouses." Severus explained.

"Oh, so why am I going with you and not the Weasley's?" Harry asked. A quick glance revealed a considering Severus's profile.

"Safety mostly. The Weasleys do not have much in the way of wards and they are not sufficient to leave you there permanently. That and another child would put too much of a financial strain on the family. As blood traitors and Light supporters they are already near the top of the target list of Dark supporters and the Dark Lord despite their pureblood status. Throwing you in the mix might make a concoction difficult to resist."

"So why you? I mean, you hate me." Harry asked.

Severus took his time responding. How did he explain his feelings for this child when the issue wasn't settled in his mind either. "I, as you know, am charged with your safety, making me one the safest places in the world for you." A pause. "I don't hate you Harry. It's difficult to explain and until the matter is settled in my own mind I can't explain my actions towards you before today. I will one day but not today. Come let's go it's but a little further." Severus tossed Harry's trunk back up to his shoulder and strode forth once more.

Harry grumbled lightly under his breath but quickly stepped after the older man. At least he had his breath back. They continued through the forest at least another hundred feet before Severus stopped. Harry walked beside him. In front of them lay a fairy ring of white mushrooms.

"Listen closely Harry. I wanted you to take my hand and close your eyes. When I say 'Jump!' hop forward once. Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them. Okay? This is very important. If you look halfway through it might disrupt the magic and we may end up at the wrong place. Do you understand?" Severus carefully explained as he stared at the top of his charge's messy head. Seeing the head nod he reached down and took Harry's small, bony hand in his own large palm wrapping his long narrow fingers around the fragile hand carefully. "Close your eyes." He bent a bit to make sure the sooty lids were closed. Severus closed his own eyes and called up what fey magic he could use by association. Keeping his eyes tightly shut himself he arranged the magic appropriately by feel and then bending his knees slightly. "Get ready." He felt Harry crouch with him slightly and tightened his grip on the boy's trunk still lying on his shoulder. "Jump!" They hopped forward together but did not touch ground when they were supposed to. There was a vague sensation beneath their feet as if they were sinking in quicksand but nothing ever closed over their feet. Finally the ground hardened properly beneath them.

"Okay Harry you can open your eyes now." Came Severus's low voice.

Harry slowly peeped open his eyes. Magical travel continued to confuse and amaze him. After flubbing up floo travel he was very careful to have done exactly as the Professor had instructed but as he opened his eyes he wondered if he hadn't messed up somehow anyway. The forest was gone. They now stood in a wide green plain of low clover. They appeared to be in the bowl of lightly rolling hills but in the distance Harry could see treetops, treetops with little treehouses in them. Behind him over another hill was an ocean of aquamarine water and he could hear the gentle roar of waves. It was nearly drown out by approaching laughter and joyful screams. Beside him Severus stepped forward out of the fairy ring and tugged him with him.

Harry blushed he hadn't even realized that he'd still been holding the cool dry hand of his professor. Once they stopped he tugged his hand free and wrapped it around the handle of the basket of potions he had in a death grip in his other hand. His nervousness increased as a large crowd approached. As they came closer many of them at a run he saw that they were mostly children younger than him. At the front were two boys near his age. He realized with a start that they were twins and spotted many multiples in the crowd running forward screaming almost incomprehensibly, "Daddy!"

The two front boys threw themselves at a now smiling Severus. The tall man grabbed one in each arm and twirled them around laughing as they did. He put them down as they were almost immediately joined by several other excited children. Severus kneeled and took time to hug each and every child. As Harry stared he began to notice that all of the children bore a resemblance to his potions master. They all, even the boys, had longish dark hair and eye colors running the gambit from incredibly dark blue-black to same bright green as his own.

Near the back of the crowd it began to part allowing a tall, beautiful woman through. Although most of the children wore dark togas of a sorts the ethereal woman was completely bare. She was a perfect picture of a woman in the full bloom of her maturity. Heavy breasts, wide hips, a gently rounded belly, her long dark hair surrounded her like a halo and as she approached Harry's greasy Potion's Master her wine red lips turned up in a wide grin. "Love, you're home."

"I couldn't wait to get here." Harry watched in amazement as the beautiful woman kissed the Potion Master deeply. They held each other so close that even as Harry watched they seemed to meld somewhere in the middle, as if their outlines wanted to mingle as well.

Finally they parted. They continued to look into each other's eyes for several seconds and Harry was surprised to see a smile gently spreading across his stoic professor's face. He didn't get to continue his observation though.

"Who are you?"

Harry turned to see the first twins that had hurtled towards them at the front of the pack. Their longish black hair swayed to their bare shoulders and their eyes nearly matched his in their brilliant verdant color. They wore faded black cloth pants that wrapped snugly around their waists and limbs and nothing else. Both were thin but not nearly as skeletal as Harry. Harry could not tell which one had addressed him and he blushed under their intense gaze. He wondered if other people felt like this when confronted by his own killing curse colored stare. "My name is Harry Potter."

"Mum told us about you." One twin said.

"Oh." Harry looked down. Would he ever escape his fame?

"Yeah, your da's best friend, Lily's son right? We're just a month older than you. Your mum and our mum were pregnant at the same time and they were great friends."

Harry's head jumped up. They didn't know him for his fame. A tiny hope began to flutter in his breast. Even Ron and Hermione liked him first for his fame only Sirius and Remus had liked him for being his father's son not for being the Boy-Who-Lived. Now these two boys knew him as his mother's son. The way normal people knew one another, by the virtue of belonging to a family.

"Were they? I didn't know." Harry trembled ever so slightly and raised his eyes to look into theirs. It was a little like looking in the mirror. The twins were slightly taller and heavier but had Harry not been starved he might have been their size. They had longer jaws and noses from their father but other than this with their messy black hair and bright green eyes they were dead ringers for the Boy-Who-Lived. "What are your names?"

"I'm Dick."

"I'm Tom" They laughed. Harry didn't.

"Get it?" Dick asked.

Seeing Harry's confusion Tom explained, "It's a funny our mother's pulled thinking that we'd grow up together. That we'd be Tom, Dick and Harry ya know."

Harry smiled. His mom had a sense of humor. He made a note in his carefully hoarded list of facts about his parents. His mother's list was pitifully small.

"Indeed, it is truly a pity that it did not work out as planned." Harry turned sharply to see the beautiful woman standing beside them. Behind her Severus was sitting cross legged in the grass as several small children swarmed over him talking in excited high pitched voices.

The beautiful lady bent forward slightly to cup his face in her hands. "Oh little Harry what happened to you?" Her large blue green eyes began to fill with tears and as they spilled over her eyelashes Harry felt it begin to rain. The blue sky had become grey and a sad rain began to fall. Harry dropped the potion's basket on to the soft grass and Hedwig who had been riding on his shoulder hopped to one of the twins as the lady pulled him forth into a tight hug. She lowered herself to her knees and Harry followed. Part of him felt smothered as his head was tucked into the heavy breasts and the long arms twined about him to hold him close to her side as she wept over him. Part of him felt that warm feeling that usually came with Mrs. Weasley's hug. Part of him however felt panicked at this unusual closeness and he felt strangely lost yet thankful when Severus gently pulled them apart.

"Worry not Love. Harry will be staying with us from now on. First things first though we must get him healthy. Then we can talk." Severus' eyes spoke volumes to his precious wife. Though she continued to cry and the rain continued to fall she nodded in understanding.

The twins hefted Harry's trunk between them and Severus picked up the basket of potions that Harry had dropped. The beautiful lady wrapped an arm around Harry's thin shoulders and they walked back towards the trees much more subdued than before even the very young children had started to cry and toddled sadly helped along by their brothers and sisters.

As the trees got closer Harry saw that indeed the enormous trees were indeed littered with several small tree houses. Not only in the branches but in the trunk where it looked like the tree itself had formed a hollow. It was in the roots however that the largest structure resided. In the V of the roots was a dark hollow it was in here the children running ahead of them disappeared into although Harry noted some of the children floating upward towards the tree houses. That gained a second or third look, especially the six gorgeous girls holding hands and using their long line to form shapes as they twirled through the air. Their faces still reflected their sadness and with a finally look at him they wailed and disappeared among the branches.

As Harry approached the black hollow he noticed it didn't get any lighter the closer they got in fact it seemed to grow darker. It was blacker than pitch right before they stepped through it into a large bright cavern.

The floor was soft and earthy; the walls showing the rings inside the tree. An enormous hearth made of dark brown stone was at the far back and along either side of it were shelves filled with everything ranging from books to foodstuff to things Harry didn't even have names for though he supposed they were some kind of knick knacks. To the right of the hearth was a very long table surrounded by chairs and to the left was an open area that reminded Harry vaguely of the Hogwart's common rooms. There were chairs and desks scattered about but also large cushy chairs and couches and thick fur rugs tumbled about the place. The entire place was very earthy and brown but never before would Harry think of brown as a drab color. Before this room he'd never fathomed there were so many shades of it.

"First things first Harry let's get some food in you and then start your potions regiment I want you healthy as soon as possible." Severus stirred Harry to a seat at the long table. Tom and Dick sat down on either side of him and Illmasilladad smiled again finally to see them lined up at the table. Harry couldn't help but smile back not realizing that the two boys on either side of him beamed identical smiles at their mother. Unbeknownst to Harry fey magic curled inside him and began to form a link between the lovely lady and the doppelgangers on either side of him.

Illmasilladad and another beautiful girl who looked only a few years old than him, Serenity, the twins whispered, began to dish out a thick meaty stew in large bowls. The first was set before Harry.

"Harry do you normally get sick after the first of the year feast?" Severus asked as he took his place at the head of the table. Slowly the other chairs were being filled as well. Harry noted that before he had sat down Severus and Serenity had placed several toddlers in high chairs. As Harry began to eat he looked around counting the chairs and the children. There were three toddlers, and twelve children between the ages of 3 -11 in chairs. Although Harry goggled at two chairs that were occupied as spoons were being lifted and stew eaten. Seeing his gaze two little girls around 4 winked into sight briefly to smile at him before becoming invisible again. Correction fourteen kids between 3-11, the six beautiful girls who flew off early floated down from an opening in the ceiling, and then counting Serenity the oldest girl who was taking her seat on the other side of the high chairs from Severus likewise with her mother Harry added that up in his head. The snarky potions master who hated kids had…three toddlers..fourteen kids..nine teenagers that was what? 26 kids!

"You have 26 kids! But you hate kids!"

"I have 36 kids and I only hate kids who aren't mine. Now do you usually get sick after the first of the year feast at Hogwarts?" Severus calmly explained and asked while eating with one hand and helping feed the toddlers on either side of him.

"No not really." Harry said glumly. He wasn't Severus's child did that mean the potion master's hated him? He'd said it was complicated.

"Then please go get a green, white, and blue potion from the basket and take them in that order."

Harry started to try on get up but before he could the three potions in question floated down to rest before him. He looked around startled to see three little kids who looked about 6 waving at him, two boys and a girl. Harry waved back and mouthed 'Thank you'. They chimed a "Your Welcome!" that Harry barely heard over the happily shrieking toddlers and the chatter of all the children.

Harry drank the green potion, which tasted a lot like wet grass that had been cut and was starting to rot. He thought about bisecting each potion with a spoonful of the delightful stew but knowing it was best to get it over with opened the white bottle and tossed it back as well. This one tasted like salty milk with particles of glass in it. Harry winced and reached for the last one.

"Harry take that one after you finish your dinner. That one will slip you into a healing sleep so you'll want to be ready for it. Who wants to share their bed with Harry?" Severus called call across the table. Immediately several hands shot up but Tom and Dick's were the most enthusiastic. "Very well Tom, Dick, and Harry shall share quarters."

"As it should be." Illmasilladad murmured. Severus shot a glance at her but her face was smooth giving away nothing. Another bit of fey magic curled into Harry reaching out to touch Tom and Dick on either side of him.

Severus sighed deciding he needed to talk to Harry again with Illmasilladad present before putting Harry asleep. "Is that okay with you Harry?"

Harry looked surprised that he was even being asked. "I don't want to be any trouble."

"No trouble.."

"..At all."

"We'd like.."

..to have you."

The twins chimed in much like Fred and George did.

"Our room has been lonely since our brothers went off."

"Father will the others be returning for the adoption?"

All was quiet as every eye focused on the parents at the head of the table.

"Of course they are already on their way." Illmasilladad stated.

"Adoption?" Harry looked at Professor Snape worriedly.

"My Love Harry has expressed hesitation to this." Severus tried to explain.

"Nonsense he is a child. We know best. Besides it has already begun." Illmasilladad dismissed his worry.

"But he is not our child…" Severus tried to argue gently internally wincing at the pain that momentarily flashed through Harry's eyes. Perhaps the child was changing his mind?

"He should have been!" Illmasilladad loss her serene composure and thundered her response at her soul mate. Outside a storm boomed and the tree shuddered at the sound.

The children collectively winced but Severus stood strong under his mate's hard gaze. Harry's respect for his professor grew he'd seen the man stand between him and a werewolf but Remus had nothing on this lovely but fierce woman but Severus did not even quiver meeting her gaze which was why his next words surprised Harry. "Yes he should have been. If I had checked on him at any point during the last twelve years he would have been but prevented by Albus I didn't and so he has grown to an age where he should have a choice."

Illmasilladad looked down the table at Harry and he felt himself becoming entranced by her large blue-green eyes. "Don't you want to be my baby Harry? Join my family?"

Harry felt himself nod involuntarily then stopped and shook himself. He heard Illmasilladad laugh throatily. "My my you are strong of will if not in body."

"Kathy says he must be healthy before the adoption anyway." Severus interjected.

"Good that'll give us time to convince him." She said in a firm tone with a smile to Harry. She sipped a sweet red juice out of a shallow cup and ignored her husband's bowed head.

Harry was still confused, "What happened?"

Severus sighed, "I'll explain later Harry. Are you finished with your stew?"

"Yes." Harry was surprised to find that this was true despite the conversation at the head of the table he'd kept right on eating the lip smacking concoction before him until his wooden spoon was all that sat in his wooden bowl.

"Come along then." Severus rose and held out a hand. Harry quickly got up and let the professor led him down the adjacent hallway. In one room nearest the large common area he noted several cradles some of which were occupied with even younger children. The next door down held two large low beds piled high with cushions and blankets. One was messily arranged in various shades of green while the other, in various shades of blue, appeared untouched. Harry was led to the messy one. He noted that the bed looked just large enough to hold three people. There were also cubby holes in the walls and two large bureaus along with several weapons many of which Harry had never before seen or heard of before hanging on the walls.

Severus dug through the bureau closest to the green bed to draw out a long white shirt. "Here, change into this while I explain the potions regiment."

Harry quickly changed while taking care to fold and place his old clothes on a spare corner of the bed after removing his wand. Severus picked them up and placed them inside the bureau. "The blue potion is the starter of a healing sleep potion. Over the next two weeks it will keep you in various states of unconsciousness. You will awaken just enough to eat and take the next dose before returning to sleep."

"Won't I get the Stads from that."

"You'll be up and running about after that so it's doubtful but I'll keep an eye on you."

"What all will these potions do?" Harry questioned. The back of his suspicious mind was frantically pointing out that he was about to let his most hated professor put him into a week's long sleep and feed him various unknown potions. Then he remembered all those happy children out there and that Snape didn't seem like he didn't want to adopt Harry just that he thought Harry should have a choice and about that… "And what was all that out there, about the adoption?"

"Illmasilladad and the children will likely spend the next month trying to convince you to stay here with us by blood adoption. Now back to the potions. These green potions, the Vitatrient potion, will slowly rebuild the nutrients you should have had. The white one, a slower acting Skele-Gro, will start rebuilding your bones. This orange one, Optical Opium, is for your eyes here in about a week. This red one, Protein Rebuilder, is for your muscles in a few days once your bones have started rebuilding. The blue one, Deep Heal, will put you to sleep and tell the others what to do." Severus explained while taking each potion out of the basket and lining them up in a cubby beside the bed.

Harry noted that there weren't very many bottles to last two weeks but remembered that Severus was going to make more. "I'm sorry to be such trouble."

"No trouble at all Mr. Po..Harry. This should have been done years ago." Severus once again stumbled over Harry's name but he had no doubt that before the month was out if Illmasilladad had her way Harry would be another son.


	4. Chapter 4

Fey Mate is working title

Rating is likely very low K-K+

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the universe he lives in though I do plan to bend it a bit. I am in no way making any money off of this.

The blue potion tasted like clouds. Fitting as it felt like Harry floated away on some after he took it. He felt a vague blue-gold glow around him as he slept. It was very odd to feel colors but that was the simplest way to describe it. The way soft blues and gold made him feel when he looked at them was how that sleep felt. Gentle, relaxed, bright, powerful, and more, it was wonderful. When the peaceful light faded he was sad to see it go but content.

He awoke to a small body curled into his back and another around his legs and Serenity, the oldest girl, with her china face and gentle smile helped him sit up and offered him a bowl of hearty tomato soup with a hunk of dark bread. The two small bodies resolved into two of the toddlers that he supposed Serenity was watching. The two toddlers with their wavy brown hair and big blue eyes stared at him in interest before turning to each other and started to gabber lowly in their own speech.

"Janeeva and Janella." He started as Serenity pointed to each in turn. He smiled at her and them and finished his soup to the quiet sounds of the giggling babies and a serene silence that Serenity almost seemed to exude, a calm silence almost like soft music lingered unheard in the air around her.

When Harry was finished Serenity handed him three more potions which he again took in order and drifted off into blue-gold again. The next several days past like this. The glow would fade and he would awaken to some member of the large family who would feed him, perhaps talk for a few minutes and introduce themselves before handing him potions and off he would drift again. He noticed that each time he went to sleep the blue-gold glow became less and less until one day he went to sleep and it wasn't there and he awoke not from the potion induced sleep but to the banging and clanging of three heavily armored young men entering the room. Never before had noise woke him up here even though he once came out of the healing sleep to see several children had been having a loud pillow fight almost on top of him. He wondered if this meant he was finished healing.

He sat up and the three young men paused in disassembling the metal plates from their bodies in order to turn and stare at him. Their faces twitched as if they wanted to smile at him but then they returned to a soldier's blank stare as they continued taking off the heavy armor. Once it was finally removed they didn't pause but continue to strip until completely bare. Harry blushed as the three very well built very nude young men closed in around his bed. Together they climbed in bed with Harry and lay around him one going so far as to lay his head in Harry's lap as soft sighs and nearly silent groans were released as they stretched finally released from the constricting metal.

"Re." Moaned the one in his lap. "Ri." Stated the one on his left. "Rye." Sighed the one on his right.

"You must be our new little brother Harry." Ri said. Ri and Rye were still slightly upright lying on their sides propped up with Harry on the soft pillows. Harry shifted somewhat uncomfortably being closely surrounded by so many nude bodies but he'd been getting more and more used to it each time he woke up. The blushing he was doing now was nothing to the bright beet red he'd turned when he'd woke up to find the six flying beauties completely bare of clothing and floating in a circle as they braided each other's hair and sang a lilting song that sounded like wind chimes while waiting for him to awaken. Sometimes he thought that living here must make it difficult to tell when one was awake or dreaming.

"Not yet." Harry said shyly.

"Why not?" asked Re who had his eyes closed and to all appearances was going to sleep.

"I'm still not sure."

"Why?" asked a curious Rye, his face beginning to thaw from his soldier's stare, his dark blue eyes looked warmly at Harry and his mouth seemed to almost be smiling.

"I've never…really..really had a family before. My relatives weren't family not really and the Weasleys are nice but.. I…."

"You're scared." Ri stated. Harry jerked his head to meet Ri's eyes. Though the same dark blue as Rye Ri's looked flat and dull at first but as Harry stared he realized that the initial stare was a mask opaque and lessening with each passing moment. Past the flat stare were the same emotions Harry was feeling. Harry didn't know the name of the ability but Ri was a strong empath. This coupled with his soldier training tended to make him very blunt.

"Yeah." Harry looked down ashamed only to meet Re's blue eyes as well. They were the same dark blue as the other two but Re's seemed to shine from within.

"We know all about fear Harry. Tell us. Tell us why you're scared." Re said softly

"I've never really been in a family before what if I don't know how?" Harry said timidly.

"Do you know how to love?" Rye asked.

"I..no I don't guess I do. I've never loved anyone before…wait yes I think I love Hermione and Ron. They're my best friends. They power my patronus." Harry smiled finally at the thought of his friends.

"Best friends. We're best friends and brothers. Best friends are like the family you weren't born with though we were lucky to be born with ours." Ri spoke contemplatingly.

"Do you think you could be friends with us Harry?" Rye asked. A bit of fey magic curled out of Harry to join with the reaching tendrils from the three boys. When Harry first came the tendrils reaching out of him were thin, wispy, barely existent. Now they were broad and strong. Though significantly weaker than those coming from the fey young men surrounding him they grew stronger with each connection made.

"Yeah. I mean you're all really really nice to me and friendly and you want me but what if I can't back." Harry fretted.

"You can." Illmasilladad stood in the doorway. She glided over to the bed and Re shifted to let her sit down only to immediately place his head back in Harry's lap and curl the rest of his body around his mother. "Harry when you first came here you wanted to belong. Your magic knew it even if you did not and it reached out to us. You have formed a connection with every child here my three warriors being the last. Your magic has made you family even while your mind dithers and where your magic leads your heart follows. Search your heart Harry and I think you'll find that you already love us a little bit." She reached out a hand to push her long fingers through Harry's tangled hair.

Harry thought of each of the family that he'd met starting with Tom and Dick who'd been his most frequent visitors and who he knew slept curled around him every night. He thought of the tiny babies he sometimes woke up cuddling and the toddlers who chattered happily at him and the older young men and women like Serenity, Re, Ri, and Rye who spoke gently to him about things.

He realized that he had begun to care about them all and that if they continued to be as nice and kind to him as they had been that he'd have a very hard time not loving them. The fact that they all treated him as if he was already family helped a lot though he didn't consciously realize. Just like he could feel but didn't consciously acknowledge that there was a barrier between him and the Weasleys. As kind and friendly the family of red heads had been there was this wall there called 'Almost' Harry was 'Almost' family to the Weasleys. Here there was no almost. At least there wasn't with anyone he'd met so far. Even the three soldiers now laying around him already felt more like brothers to him than even Ron did. The only hold back he realized was himself…and Professor Snape.

"What about Professor Snape? He hates me." Harry stated this as fact. Professor Snape hated him. It was something of a comfort whenever Harry's life took a plunge. Professor Snape hated him just pure, simple hate. No matter what Snape never treated him differently. Well at least he hadn't until he'd come to pick him up from the Dursley's since then he'd act very differently indeed.

"I don't hate you Harry. I told you that remember?" Harry was pleased he wasn't the only one who started slightly and the Potions Master's silent entrance. Severus wore a pair of snug black trousers and a loose black shirt. He was barefoot like everyone else seemed to be around here.

"You said you weren't sure yet."

"I said that I needed time. One cannot go from dislike, not hate, never hate Harry, to loving you as a son overnight." Severus walked toward the bed. He stood at the foot looking down at his love and four sons with a smile. "But I'm not your holdback any longer Harry. I care for you now as I care for all of my children, as I should have cared about you from the first. I'm sorry Harry. Seeing you that first day looking up at me with your Father's messy hair and glasses already easily making friends so popular made it very difficult for me to separate the two of you. I was wrong. You are neither your mother or your father Harry, you are you. I want to know that boy, the boy that despite his family was able to smile. I couldn't do that despite my family, not without the help of Lily and my Love. And I don't know if your mother or father would have been strong enough to do so either."

Harry looked down at his hands to find they had tangled in Re's hair. The young man's eyes were closed and he breathed in deep his mother's scent. Harry thought about Professor Snape, the hard-nosed Potion's Master at school and the more relaxed father at home; Illmasilladad, with her soft hands soothing his tangled mane looking at him as her child. He thought about how he felt like he belonged here; how it already seemed like home even though he hadn't been here long. He realized that while he'd always felt on the outside looking in at the Burrow that this home felt like a tightly woven tapestry of which he was now just another thread. He was already family here. Why was he still thinking about it? It was only his own frightened mind holding him back. He wasn't a Griffindor for nothing.

He looked up at Profess…Father. "I wanted to be adopted."

Gods this chapter killed me. Finally I channeled how my sisters are my sisters despite being no blood relation to me(steps). But I was 4 when I met them. "These are your new sisters." And so they were. I have a large step family that's just as much my family as my blood I don't know why this was so hard.

But here it is. More siblings to come most of which will be flat characters.

Since some people asked Illmasilladad is fey. A fairy. A being of magic and most definitely NOT HUMAN. She has reached the age in her extremely long life in which she wants to have children and she's going to have as many as she possibly can limited only by how often Severus can get her pregnant. Her kind of fey at her age can have hundreds of children before they've decided that's enough and then a few centuries later she may decide to have more. So yes she's been giving birth ever 10 months or so since May 1976 (it now being late May 1994 before Harry's fourth year) and that's perfectly fine and dandy with her, kind of blows her husband's mind a bit but for her this is normal and healthy. Yes that means that sometimes she's given birth more than once a year as is the case with the 6 sisters who are actually a set of triplets, twins and one single birth in the middle. She's never given birth to more than three at once.


	5. Chapter 5

This has gone on long enough I had only a few more scenes for this worked out in my mind so I'm going to write those but I'm going to wrap it up. I hate leaving you hanging wondering so this is a wrap up. If other scenes pop into my head years later I may post them but really it's just one and the ending so here you go.

#$%^#%^#%$^#%$^#$%^#%$^#$%^#%^#%$^#$%^#%$^$%^#$%^#

A month had passed since Harry had been adopted into a fey family of the Snapes. True to Severus's prediction Harry didn't get Stads from his long bed rest simply because once he was up Tom and Dick with Ri, Re, and Rye never let him sit down for longer than it took to eat and sleep.

Severus sat in a beach chair enjoying the slow creep of the waves and tide while reading a potions journal before hearing the clash of metal he looked up to see Tom, Dick and Harry getting run through some weapon drills with Ri, Re, and Rye. The two oldest boys, Mika and M'lka, stood nearby with their own triplet, Meka. The oldest triplets were a special team of warriors and healer. The girl was wrapped in a soft green gown while the boys never fully took their armor off except to sleep. They were relaxing now but were on call to one of the Fey Queen's at any moment. Ri, Re, and Rye were a warrior set with no large magic between them. Fey triplets were quite common and usually formed such groups. With training Tom, Dick and Harry would form warrior-mage set. Illmasilidad was quite proud of providing so many teams to the Queens. She attributed it to Severus's gross human influence giving them the weight needing to hold to the ground.

Fey were magic twisted and made solid with a unique whimsy. Humans were of the earth and much more grounded. Together they made fey who were less likely to flit about aimlessly. Not that that was always the case. Their six golden girls never put their feet on the ground. They came out of the womb floating into the ether. He sighed happily thinking about his large ever growing family. Ilmasilidad was pregnant even now with what she believed was another set of three boys. She claimed to feel the magic twist about them strongly and believe them to all to be strong mages. Severus just hoped that some in this batch would like potions. Although he had 36 children only 4 enjoyed potion making; Kael, a precocious ten year old, being his best student but who knew what the little ones would one day enjoy.

He watched as one the oldest boys instructed Harry in controlling his fey magic. He'd always taken his wife's belief that Lily had fey blood with a grain of salt but the fact that after the adoption Harry's magic had all twisted into the lighter intricacies of the Fey made it much more likely. Harry wore his wand on a cord around his neck but while it was a lovely reminder of his past Fey magic could not be pushed through a wizard's wand and so now Harry was learning magic anew. Luckily Fey magic was instinctual so his current wizard education made catching on much easier. He would probably never control the vastest powers held by the Fey but then again most wouldn't; even his new mother was only of middling power. Beside Harry was happy; every day and every night a smile adorned his face. Which bought a pensive look to Severus's own face. Hogwarts would be sending Harry's letter in a few days but would the Boy-Who-Lived even want to go back? Harry could no longer use his wand and while there were still things Hogwarts could teach the boy for the most part it would be useless as he could just as easily learn those things at home with his brothers and sisters. Would Illmasilidad even let Harry leave? What would Dumbledore do if he showed up on September 1st without Harry Potter? He sighed, he would have to have a talk with Harry tonight.

"Harry come with me. We must talk." Illmasilidad's full lips pursed briefly before she continued her low lilting song as she rocked many of the children in an enormous swing made of air, and dust, and bits of magic. Over half of the children swung together with her as she and her children sang low crooning fey songs full of whispers and promise. Harry looked back longingly at the swing one of his favorite things to do but dutifully followed his Potions Professor turned Father. Now as they traveled Severus wrapped one long arm around the soon to be 14 year old and held him close to his side. Harry laid his head against his chest and sighed happily. They walked far enough away that the singing was but a low murmur in the background then Severus folded himself down to sit on the cool grass and Harry elegantly fell down beside him scrawled out like only a teenage boy can.

Harry stared up at the sky; unfamiliar stars revealed and hidden by the ebb and flow of the magic lights that performed in time with the music of the fey singing.

"Your Hogwarts letter should be coming in a few days."

"I can't wait to see Hermione and Ron and tell them about all this."

Severus blinked and that was another problem. "You can't."

"What?" Harry looked over with some dismay. He'd been looking forward to telling Ron stories about his own brothers and sisters.

"At least not everything. My family is protected by the fact that they are very much a secret Harry. The Dark Lord knows not that I have a family and I'd like very much to keep it that way."

"Oh." Harry looked disappointed.

"You can tell Ron and Hermione that you were adopted and about your siblings but you cannot tell them who we are." Severus looked away towards the sea for a moment. "Do you even want to return to Hogwarts Harry? Wizard magic is no longer an option for you and no one will be there to help with your fey magic."

Harry looked shocked. "Of course I do!" Not return to Hogwarts! It was unthinkable. The fey song rose to a crescendo and Harry turned back to see his family. If he didn't return to Hogwarts he wouldn't see Ron and Hermione…but if he did that meant leaving Tom and Dick behind. What of Re, Ri, and Rye who said they would try to find true practice swords for them in a few months? Or Jason, Jack, and Jess who smiled and laughed with delight as he walked the paths of Fey magic? Serenity who cooed at him when he helped her cook? Or all the little ones who toddled after him? Or Mother with her unconditional love that flowed from her like a river? "Do I have to return to Hogwarts?"

Severus smirked at his son's reversal. "Unfortunately yes Harry. I'm afraid Dumbledore will insist."

"Why don't any of the others have to go?"

"Letters never came for them. They don't have enough wizard magic in their bodies for that to work. You don't either but because you were already a student a letter will come for you regardless. Besides Harry you are the Boy-Who-Lived. You think Dumbledore or the Governors will just let you drop out without an explanation? An explanation that for the connected safety of our family we cannot give." Severus sighed. "I suppose we could get you declared a squib but then everyone would want to know why which just goes right back…" He ran a hand over his face and again sighed heavily. Here in his home with his family the outside world seemed to fade away from his mind. Was it any wonder the queen's paramours forgot their mortal lives? He should have been thinking of these things, planning, spinning a web of lies to protect them but now here he was days away from Harry's letter wanting an answer with nothing. He fell back beside his son to stare at the stars.

"So I guess I've got no choice but to go back to Hogwarts and pretend I can still do wizard magic while doing fey magic instead."

Severus smiled sadly at him. "I guess so." He reached out and ruffled the unruly mop of hair.

%*&%*&^%^&%(^%(*&%*)&^(*&%^%&*^&$^%$^$*%$*&%^*&^%

Hermione had been pleased that he was so much healthier at the start of the year. Ron could not stop talking about the Quidditch World Cup but Harry only commented that his Summer had been good. The tales he had wanted to tell his friends welled up inside him but he was fearful. As awesome as his new siblings were their powers were not easily explained by human magic. From the one that made the sea rise in high waves and another who'd froze them that way so that they could ice skate on hills. The ones who preferred invisibility nearly constantly, that had been interesting getting used to but now Harry stayed hyperaware of his surroundings which his warrior brothers had definitely approved of. His warrior brothers of course were the ones he'd been with the most. He wanted to crow about learning about swords and halberds and shields and attacking blasts of magic. He wanted to tell of the soft hands of his oldest sisters as they healed them up after a long day of being battered by the older boys. He wanted to brag about how beautiful and wonderful his mother was…

But he couldn't because for every story he told would come questions. Questions he couldn't answer without giving away too much information. So he kept quiet. It wasn't as if he wasn't busy and worried enough trying to hide his new fey magic, hide his lack of need to use a wand, hide his immense homesickness. He'd fallen off the bed three times in the first week because he was expecting to curl up against someone that wasn't there and unlike Father who could retreat to his quarters and use the fireplace to floo to a remote location near a fairy ring and visit home Harry couldn't disappear like that without suspicion. The growing amount of detentions he was racking up with Professor Snape had even Hermione fuming. It wasn't as if Harry could explain that they were an excuse for him to go home and hug his mother for a few hours.

It took time but Harry had finally fallen back into a routine. Get up, put on his useless glasses that contained a glamour that kept him looking more like a human and less like a fey; not that much had changed about him. Mostly the difference could be found in his face; a longer jaw and slightly more prominent nose, his cheekbones slightly more in evidence. Slight differences but not things that could explained by three months of growing like his height and weight. Then he'd go get breakfast, eating a tremendous amount of food that had Neville and Dean betting on who could eat more him or Ron. Go to class take his lovely polished wand in hand and wave it around uselessly while simultaneously calling up his fey magic to actually do the spell. This was fairly simple in DADA and Charms but abysmal in Transfiguration with took much more concentration that he was able to give it. While the spell usually succeeded it was never quite the shape, size or color it was supposed to be.

Potions was a game of catch me if you can where Harry tried to do everything perfectly and his Father tried to catch him at anything that could a make a detention. The day the resonant tones of his father told him that he had a detention for breathing too loudly it'd been everything in him not to giggle.

Then of course the Triwizard Tournament came near the end of October and everything went to hell. With his classmates he'd giggled at the twin's antics but also wondered how his own siblings would have done in the tournament. Privately he thought that they'd have thoroughly decimated the pretty little Beauxbaums girls and the stoic Drumstrang boys. When Cedric's name had been called he'd cheered with the rest of them right up until he'd felt the Goblet reach out and touch his magic and he knew that the piece of paper floating down into Dumbledore's hands held his own name. He panicked and quickly directed a fearful look at his father.

"Harry…Potter." Dumbledore intoned and the world it seemed focused its eyes on him.

Before this Summer Harry would have shakily rose to meet his Maker alone because there was no one to stand with him but him. But this Summer he'd finally, finally gotten a family and even as he stood shaking his head fearfully his magic was sending out pulses of terrified seeking magic. As he walked slowly towards where Dumbledore stood by the Goblet with every eye focused on him no one noticed the swiftly striding Potions Master heading in the same direction.

Severus plucked the piece of paper out of Dumbledore's hand and examined it with a sneer. Harry came to a stop beside his father. He sighed in relief as the Goblet's magic retreated to focus on his father instead. It seemed to be waiting.

"This isn't the even the brat's handwriting. There is no way Mr. Potter placed this in the Goblet."

"He got someone else to do it then." The Madame of Beauxbaum declared.

"Little cheat." Karl spat.

"Harry did you have your name put into the Goblet?" Severus said not unkindly his black eyes for once softening inside the confines of the school. The subterfuge was up. He couldn't endanger one son to protect the others. The Snapes would have to depend on their numerous other defenses should his enemies come calling. At least now a days he had enough adult children to aid in any battle. If he was not mistaken Hogwarts was going to see a bit of that show of force momentarily.

"No of course not. I didn't want to participate even if I had been of age I wouldn't have done it." Harry looked pleadingly up at his father begging him to believe him. What if Severus thought he was lying? What if he lost his family due to some prank?

"As well even if you had I wouldn't have allowed it. You have not the training nor the experience for something as this." Severus told the short young man nearly nestled into his side.

"Wouldn't have allowed it? I fail to see how you have a say in it Death…Professor Snape." Mr. Crouch bit out.

"Perhaps we should move this away from the rest of the school's eyes." Dumbledore suggested in his gentle way. He went to tug the piece of paper from Severus's hand but Severus didn't move.

"No Headmaster if we move from this spot the Goblet, of fey make if I'm not mistaken, will assume that Harry has accepted the challenge and then there will be nothing we can do about it. This must be decided now and it will be."

Dumbledore stared into Severus eyes and silently asked him, are you sure?

Severus nodded as the Great Hall doors were smashed open by three very heavily armored, very familiar individuals, they were followed by two taller yet lighter armored men and one absolutely scantily clad woman. They moved like they were walking into battle but quickly surround him and Harry.

Meka quickly wrapped Harry up, "Little brother are you okay? We felt your panic from home!"

By now the student body was shifting around, muttering, whispers filled the air.

"As Harry Potter's guardian I refuse to allow his participation in this competition." Severus spoke in deep echoing tones that filled and quieted the hall.

The Goblet flared and with a reaching tendril of fire destroyed the slip of paper with Harry's name on it.

"Guardian?!"

Severus snapped his fingers summoning a houseelf. "Please bring Harry's things here immediately." He turned to Meka, "Take your brother home before your mother worries herself into a fit." Harry's trunk appeared packed and locked at Severus's feet. "Take that with you." He waved the rest of the children away. Harry appeared to be waving at Ron and Hermione as Meka fussed over him and Mika and M'lka walked them out with Harry's trunk over one's shoulder. He turned to face Albus who was watching Harry go with a worried façade covering a calculating gleam in his eyes. "Headmaster, I do not regret to inform you that do to family matters I must tender my resignation immediately."

"What?!" Apparently the Headmaster had not expected Severus to leave as well.

"You understand of course. Good day Headmaster." Severus quickly followed his oldest children out the door only to pause when he noticed that Re, Ri, and Rye were not following. Instead they were studying the Goblet of Fire curiously.

"Isn't this the Summer Queen's?"

"It does look like it. Pilfer by humans some years ago I believe."

"We should return it."

One boy snatched it from its pedestal and as a single unit turned and marched out of the hall with their father. Once out the door all four ran out of the castle for the fairy door Meka had opened on the lawn. The Headmaster and other heads of school, Ministry officials and students poured out behind them just in time to see the last of Severus's cloak disappear. By the time they'd gotten to the fairy ring the mushrooms had all turned black and crumbled to mush.

2 years passed in the Wizarding World like a blur.

Dumbledore was dead. The curse from the Percvell Ring had finally taken his life quietly in the hours after the Halloween feast at Hogwarts. He'd done his best to leave as many clues as possible as to what would need to be done but without Severus there to stem the tide the curse had finally destroyed him.

Voldemort had of course been resurrected in the Winter after Harry Potter had left. Barty Crouch Sr had been kidnapped by his polyjuiced son to be the unwilling sacrifice in the Dark Lord's ritual. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had of course wanted to use the blood of his destroyer, Harry Potter's, but once news had reached him of the boy's departure from Hogwarts and the betrayal of his Potionsmaster the Dark Lord had seen no reason to wait and had selected the man that had put so many of his followers in Azkaban instead. It need not be said that he had raged and cursed at the loss of the Boy-Who-Lived, and that Wormtail suffered mightily at the wand of his lord.

The Ministry fell only two days after Dumbledore's death and the mighty wizard had not even been laid to rest when the gleeful Death Eaters began to descend upon the last bastion of resistance at Hogwarts. The wards around Hogwarts rang with a great clatter as they were bombarded. Professor Mongonall stood at the entrance and nearly cried when she saw the 6th and 7th year students picking up their wands to help the Order in defense of the castle. The younger children were being forced into the dungeons the most defensible part of the castle.

With the nervousness and tension at an all time high a most unusual thing began to grow on the lawn of the castle. A large circle of white mushrooms began to grow some twenty feet in front of the line of defenders. There was no pop no sound but it seemed to the defenders of Hogwarts as if they all blinked and suddenly there was a large force of armored beings standing inside the circle. They all very deliberately stepped outside of the circle of mushrooms revealing that inside the group were beings more scantily clad, mostly beautiful young women but a few men wearing very little some wearing nothing at all. Minerva was shocked to see one of the men, dressed only in trousers with a black sash diagonal on his chest, was Severus Snape. He studied the barrier with a calculating eye before turning to face the Headmistress.

"My apologies Minerva; had I known things were quite this bad I'd have returned rather sooner than this eleventh hour. I have brought Harry to fulfill this thrice damned prophecy and be done with it. Have the Horcruxes been destroyed?"

"What horcruxes? What prophecy? What are you talking about Severus?"

The Potionsmaster's eye widened, "He didn't tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Remus asked confused. Harry was with this group somewhere and only Remus' spread arm kept Sirius from rushing forward to find his godson.

"Wow he really didn't tell you?" An armor clad boy had stepped up beside Snape. He removed his helmet to reveal a familiar face. Longish messy hair stuck up at odd angles from being inside the helmet but the green eyes had not changed a bit. Harry grinned and stepped forward to hug his godfather and werewolf friend as well as Hermione and Ron as they pushed their way to the front of the group. Harry was confident his father would get it all worked out. He knew what part he was to play in this. He felt Tom and Dick at his back and as he heard them remove their helmets he stepped back to line up with them as they turned identical glittering green eyes towards the defenders of Hogwarts.

"Whoa, mate, when'd you get brothers?"

"Couple of years ago. My family's even bigger than yours now Ron. I have 46 siblings!" Harry crowed. He was quite proud of his large family. For the last two years Harry had been surrounded by family who loved him. Every second awake or asleep Tom and Dick had been there with him of course but he'd been showered with love from every other member of the family as well.

Dumbledore had privately thought the power the Dark Lord knew not was love. Many may have scoffed but the old wizard had been right. Love was what brought the huge family of battle-ready fey to the battlefield this day and love would be behind Harry when he charged into battle moments later as the wards finally fell. Brotherly love would watch his back as he used his spear to pierce Voldemort's black heart and love was what prevented that piece of soul from possessing the green eyed boy. With nothing to hold on the piece of the Dark Lord's soul quickly dissipated. Deep within the Ministry a globe on a shelf in the Department of Mysteries glowed briefly and then winked out. In another realm a small girl with her big brother's green eyes smiled. The Death Eaters seeing their leader downed quickly fled.

As quickly as they came the fey left nursing a few wounds and perhaps a new battle scar or two but the surprised of armored fey had been enough to throw the Death Eaters off their stride significantly as well as elemental magic that ignored wizard shields. While the more talented Death Eaters had rallied and scored a few hits those were targeted and destroyed fairly quickly by the veteran combat sets of Severus Snape's children. Immediately after the last of the black cloaks had left most of them had turned and left as well leaving only Severus, Tom, Dick and Harry standing on Hogwarts lawn.

The tension went out of the air with a whoosh. Voldemort was dead! All the fear, all the anticipation of the battle was gone and left in its wake an awkward silence as Harry and his brother's healed each other wounds while messing about in a jovial fashion. As if they hadn't just killed the Darkest Wizard of the age mere minutes before.

Of course unknown to wizards who do not make it a point to study fey traditions the fey that had arrived and left in a blink of an eye merely considered the Battle of Hogwarts a skirmish compared to the bi annual wars fought in the names of the Winter and Summer Queens. The Winter Queen was currently in power but had allowed them to take several warriors to help. Perhaps because she too had a wizard mate or perhaps it was because the weak sunlight in her crystal citadel made her drowsy, or perhaps it was because she liked bloodshed, or maybe just maybe because it was Tuesday and she'd had treacle tart for lunch. She could have just as easily commanded them not to go at all. Such is the whimsical nature of the fey.

Severus discussed the horcruxes up in McGonagall's office later that night after the celebratory feast but made it perfectly clear that Harry's part in this was through. An hour or so after the battle the rest of the Snape family had appeared. A tiny girl of seven with the same glittering green eyes as her brother's had flung herself in Harry's arms and exclaimed that the prophecy was fulfilled. Harry made plans to visit with his friends and godfathers more regularly and let them know how to go about contacting him for letters and such.

In the years following the anti-climactic Battle of Hogwarts Harry appeared in the mortal world for Christmas and birthdays of those closest to him almost never appearing without Tom and Dick. Memorably he appeared to be the best man at his friend Ron's wedding to Lavender Brown and for Hermione's wedding to Victor Krum. He was a favorite exotic uncle for his friend's children and was repeatedly referred to laughingly as their fairy godfather. He appeared less and less after his friend's deaths only popping by occasionally to check on their descendants. Nearly two hundred years after the Battle of Hogwarts he appeared with his brothers to claim three mortal brides. His own a lovely red-headed Weasley girl, the great-great-great granddaughter of his best friend.

Severus Snape never returned to the world of mortals content to live his extended lifetime with his beloved Illmasiladad and their ever growing family. They are living in their enchanted grotto to this day.


End file.
